


traumas

by Anonymous



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, M/M, Nightmares, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:47:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22348999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: nico discovers his greatest fear
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Comments: 2
Kudos: 49
Collections: Anonymous





	traumas

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this in a depressive state and havent reread it, so i dont want this associated with my username

Wherever he is it’s dark enough that nico briefly considers that he’s gone blind and quiet enough that maybe hes deaf too, and halfway thinks he might be dead altogether but he can still Feel things like the ropes that are binding his hands behind his back - he’s tied TO something but he doesn’t know what - but what he CAN’T feel is any sort of pain so he knows he wasn’t knocked out, maybe just snatched from his bed somehow, and he wants to call out for help but he doesn’t remember how he got there so he doesn’t know if something is lurking. he starts to panic until all he can hear is his heart pounding in his ears and his breaths coming quicker until he realizes that if he doesn’t calm down then he’ll pass out and that’s what he sees a light coming toward him

will has always seemed to glow in the dark, but never so bright. His hair and freckles let off a soft glow, but in this total darkness its enough to light up his entire body - the worry on his face is clear when he drops to his knees in front of nico with his hands held out to hold nicos face in his hands

“You have to get me out of here,” nico says, his voice a harsh whisper surrounded by heavy pants for breath. “Something tied me up here, and i don’t know if it’s still here. You have to untie me, will, we need to get away from here!”

“I can’t do that,” will tells him as his hands slip away. He moves back, just out of where nico’s reach would have been. “I can’t let you leave.”

“Why not? I don’t think we’re safe here.”

“No, you’re not.”

“What?” 

“And the rest of us aren’t safe wherever you are.” The concern melts off of will’s face, replaced by indifference. A blank stare, a shell of will if anything. “You’re a danger to us all, nico.”

“What are you talking about? I haven’t done anything wrong!” nico’s voice starts to shake.

“You will. All of you big three children do sooner or later. Why do you think we convinced percy to leave for new rome? It’s safer for the rest of us without him. That’s why bianca had to die, and jason, and hazel - but you just had to go and bring her back, didn’t you? That’s okay. We’ll fix that. Thalia’s bound to die sooner or later in her line of work, too, so that just left you. The strongest of them all, but somehow the weakest at the same time. You can’t even muster up the courage to leave everyone behind like you did last time, can you? No, you’re too much of a coward to leave on your own, so we had to speed things up a little bit. I’m sure you know better than anyone that it’s easier to hide a murder in the middle of nowhere than someplace like camp - i mean, that’s why you killed bryce with only two witnesses so that nobody would ever find out, right?”

“How did you know about--”

Will’s blank stare twists into a wicked grin. “Next time you shouldn’t leave any witnesses. Except, no, there won’t be a next time, will there? I guess i’ll just have to learn from your mistake.”

Will stands, and nico moves to stop him, but stays planted on the ground, still bound in the dark. “Why are you doing this?”

“I already told you, you’re a danger--”

“Why YOU?”

Will hesitates, that wicked grin turning to a look of pity as he kneels down in front of nico, and pinches nico’s chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Because nobody else could bear to be this close to you for more than a second.”

Nico feels the words like a knife in his chest. He chokes out, “i thought we were friends. I thought… i thought we were  _ more  _ than that!”

Will laughs in his face. “You really believed all that? I guess i’m a better actor than i thought. I was just pretending to be nice to you in the hopes that i could keep you from dragging us all straight to hell with you. But then i got sick of the games and wanted a more...permanent solution. Which brings us to where we are now: your final resting place. With a strong scent like yours, i’m sure you’ll attract every monster on the east coast to come and eat you alive, so i think i’d best get out of here before anything mistakes me for dinner.”

As will turns to walk away, nico squeezes his eyes shut both to avoid having to watch will abandon him and to focus on any place to shadow travel himself to - he would be safe in new rome, right?

When he opens his eyes, he still sees will’s soft glow fading from view. “What did you do to me?” nico shouts after him. “Why can’t i shadow travel?” 

Nico imagines that horrible grin appearing again on will’s face as he says, “there are no shadows without a light source to make them.”

Nico blinks, and will is gone, his distant glow suddenly replaced by low growls and deep breathing, heavy steps on the ground and claws scratching against underbrush. 

Nico wants to scream - cry out for help and cry out in despair - and despite the darkness he shuts his eyes to avoid the sight of any monster that might come to kill him. 

“Nico?” 

that’s not will’s voice. 

He opens his eyes. The brightness around him stings his eyes at first, but once they adjust he sees clovis in front of him - he looks more awake than nico has ever seen him in person. He’s only ever looked so awake in dreams.

“What are you doing?” clovis asks, his head cocking in confusion. 

Nico chokes on his breath. “What?” 

Clovis crosses his arms, looking stern. “You were making a lot of noise. Not, you know, physical noise, but dream noise. I was trying to have my own dream, but you keep making too much noise.”

“I’m...dreaming?” in that moment, nico feels his hands unbind, dropping to the floor at his sides. His entire body sags in exhaustion, but he reaches up to wipe the tears from his cheeks anyway. “Did you...see any of it?”

Clovis shakes his head. “Just you sitting here, sobbing, holding your hands behind your back. Why did you let it get this bad?”

“What?”

“I’ve seen you dreamwalk, i know you can do it. Why would you let yourself get stuck here like this?”

“I thought it was...real. I thought i was living out my worst nightmare.”

“And what’s that?” 

Nico pauses. “I’m not even sure anymore.”

Clovis frowns at him. “Okay, well, I think it’s time to wake up.” he reaches out a hand for nico to take, and hoists him to his feet. 

Nico wakes up, covered in a sheen of sweat, sitting upright in his bed in the hades cabin. There is light filtering in through the cracks between the curtains, coming in at just the right angle for nico to see the dust floating through the air. He can hear birds chirping outside and the chatter of campers on their way to breakfast. He hands his head in his hands and takes a few deep breaths as he tries to forget everything from his dream, and flinches when there’s a knock on his door.

He gets up to open it and finds clovis at his doorstep, face showing a mix of concern and enough sleepiness for nico to know that he is actually awake. “I think you should talk about it.”

Nico shakes his head. “I’ll be fine.” he steps out onto the front step, pushing past clovis and pulling his door shut behind himself. He looks out at the central green between the cabins, his eyes catching on the glowing gold of the apollo cabin just as the door opens, and will steps outside. As if he knew he was being watched, will looks up, straight at nico, and nico’s heart stops. Will smiles at waves, but nico is already flinching back, falling against his door hard enough for it to open under his weight, and he pulls clovis inside with him.

“I’m not fine,” nico says immediately, his breathing picking up speed as he scrambles backwards across the floor until his back presses up against a wall. “I think my head is sabotaging me.”

Clovis kneels down in front of him, not unlike how the evil will from his dream had done, and says, “it was just a nightmare.”

Nico shakes his head repeatedly, vigorously, because he knows that, dream or no dream, he’ll never be able to look at will the same again.


End file.
